here in canada we are not allowed to hunt with handguns but when I bear hunt there are two of us in the tree no hunter and one tapes we each have a bear tag. the hunter uses the bow and the camera man pack a rifle in. there is no worst feeling then looking for a downed bear with a bow. we use a a bolt .308 remington a 720? maybe it has 19" barrel and peep sights that give alot of comfort. even baiting we pack it in. if I could use a handgun which would be easier a .44 mag would be my choice. But this year for baiting we are going to try some pepper sray